Monroe to Choose Jobs over Environment
By Nathan Kerns, Staff Writer
6/20/2008
In a move that has left many environmentalists in disbelief, the city of Monroe has agreed to cover all of Brutt Shipping Company’s extensive environmental fines and has persuaded the state EPA to drop all of the charges held against the company in order to prevent the company from leaving the region. Additionally, the city has agreed to repeal Monroe city ordinance #422, which was designed to prevent Brutt’s idling ships from polluting Silver Port Harbor’s waters.
Brutt’s operations are widely acknowledged by conservationists as a key source of Monroe’s severe water pollution, which ranks number one in the state. As well as holding a poor environmental record, Brutt Shipping is also the third largest employer in Monroe city. “Our economy is facing a decline and I’m just trying to do some damage control with the Brutt situation due to last year’s bad decisions and misspending,” says Monroe mayor William Dawson (FED). City officials plan to counter the resulting increase in pollution by utilizing a new statewide water purification system that is currently in development, which—largely due to lobbying on Monroe’s part—recently received a $1.3 million budget boost from Boys State governor Jeremy Browning (FED).
While the proposed water purification plant assures safe water for Boys State citizens, there is currently no plan in effect to protect the vast numbers of wildlife that will also suffer from the effects of polluted water.